NAME

App::prepare4release - prepare a Perl distribution for release (skeleton)

SYNOPSIS

use App::prepare4release;
App::prepare4release->run(@ARGV);

DESCRIPTION

Run from the distribution root (where prepare4release.json and Makefile.PL live). The tool:

• Loads prepare4release.json and resolves module_name / version / dist_name when omitted (from Makefile.PL and the main .pm).
• Patches Makefile.PL: META_MERGE (repository and bugtracker URLs), and a marked MY::postamble block (between # BEGIN PREPARE4RELEASE_POSTAMBLE and # END PREPARE4RELEASE_POSTAMBLE) that runs pod2github when --github or --gitlab was used (else pod2markdown), then maint/inject-readme-badges.pl (a standalone Perl script regenerated each run, core modules only) so make README.md reapplies the same shields without depending on App::prepare4release. The block is refreshed on each run to match the current pod2* choice; the script embeds the frozen badge Markdown for the chosen --github / --gitlab / --cpan flags.
• When --github or --gitlab is set, ensures CI workflow files exist (see "Continuous integration").
• Regenerates README.md from the VERSION_FROM module (make README.md when Makefile exists, otherwise pod2github or pod2markdown), then injects Markdown shield lines ([![Alt](image)](link)) into README.md after the first title block (runs of # headings) or before # NAME when that is the first heading. The Makefile.PL postamble runs maint/inject-readme-badges.pl after pod2github/pod2markdown so badges stay in sync without a runtime dependency on this distribution. Strips any legacy badge block from POD after __END__. License and minimum Perl badges are always added; with --cpan, also Repology, CPAN version, and cpants. The GitHub Actions CI badge is added only with --github; the GitLab pipeline badge only with --gitlab (host from git.server, else from git.repo URL, else gitlab.com). License shield (always blue) uses the same key as ExtUtils::MakeMaker (Makefile.PL LICENSE), or the type inferred from a root LICENSE file when present; the link is the repository LICENSE blob when that file exists and --github or --gitlab is set (branch from git.default_branch, default main), otherwise the usual canonical license URL. Minimum Perl on the shield comes from min_perl_version / perl_min in the JSON file, else Makefile.PL MIN_PERL_VERSION, else the stricter of makefile and main module (as for CI).
• Creates author tests under xt/author/ when missing: pod.t (Test::Pod), eol.t (Test::EOL), pod-coverage.t (Test::Pod::Coverage), using Test2::V1.
• With --cpan, after the steps above: ensures LICENSE exists. The license type is taken from Makefile.PL LICENSE (via the same snippet scan as elsewhere in this tool); if that is missing, perl (same terms as Perl 5) is assumed. The file text is downloaded from official upstream sources (for perl, the Artistic and Copying files from the Perl 5 repository; for apache_2, mit, gpl_3, etc., the canonical license URLs). If a fetch fails, a short built-in fallback is written. If README is missing but README.md exists, writes a short stub README pointing readers to README.md. Creates a default MANIFEST.SKIP when none is present (skipping blib/, cover_db/, nytprof/, tarballs, .git/, etc.); runs perl Makefile.PL, copies MYMETA.* to META.*, and make manifest so MANIFEST matches the tree for CPAN packaging.
• Warns when any t/*.t or xt/**/*.t file starts with use Test::More or use Test::Most (legacy assertion frameworks). Prefer Test2::V1 or Test2::Tools::Spec.

README badge injector (maint/inject-readme-badges.pl)

The MY::postamble fragment cannot hold large, self-contained Perl _sub_s: ExtUtils::MakeMaker expects that section to expand into Makefile rules, and keeping badge logic only in Makefile.PL would either duplicate a lot of text or imply loading this distribution at make README.md time. Instead, prepare4release writes maint/inject-readme-badges.pl, a small, generated program (core modules only) that strips prior shield lines and inserts the frozen Markdown block computed on the last run (same flags as --github / --gitlab / --cpan). Downstream distributions should commit that file with the rest of the tree so make README.md works in a clean clone and the file is included in the CPAN tarball like any other tracked asset. Re-run prepare4release after changing repository URLs, license, or badge-related options so the script and README.md stay consistent. No runtime dependency on App::prepare4release is added to the target module.

CONFIGURATION FILE

File name: prepare4release.json (in the distribution root).

An empty file or whitespace-only file is treated as an empty JSON object {}.

• module_name

  Optional. Perl package (e.g. My::Module). If omitted, taken from the VERSION_FROM module's package line, from NAME in Makefile.PL, or from the first lib/**/*.pm file.

• version

  Optional. If omitted, taken from $VERSION in the resolved main module file.

• dist_name

  Optional. Defaults to module_name with :: replaced by hyphens.

• min_perl_version

  Optional. Minimum Perl version string for the README Perl badge (e.g. 5.026 or v5.26.0). If omitted, MIN_PERL_VERSION from Makefile.PL is used, then the combined makefile/module heuristic.

• perl_min

  Optional alias for min_perl_version.

• bugtracker

  Optional bugtracker URL. If omitted, it is built as <repository web>/issues for the selected git host.

• git

  Object (optional) with:

  • author

    Required for --github or --gitlab unless git.repo is a namespace path (group/project) or a repository URL. Otherwise required to build repository URLs when git.repo is only a short name or omitted.

  • repo

    Repository name, namespace/project path, or https://... / git@... URL. If omitted, defaults to perl- plus module_name with :: replaced by hyphens.

  • server

    Optional hostname (e.g. gitlab.example.com) for https:// links instead of github.com / gitlab.com.

  • default_branch

    Optional branch name for LICENSE blob links in the README badge (default main).

• ci

  Optional object:

  • apt_packages

    Array of Debian package names (e.g. libssl-dev) appended to the generated GitHub Actions and GitLab CI apt-get install steps. System libraries are not inferrable reliably from CPAN metadata alone; list them here when XS or Alien::* needs OS packages.

Continuous integration

When --github is set, if .github/workflows/ci.yml does not exist it is created. It runs prove -lr t on an Ubuntu runner using https://github.com/shogo82148/actions-setup-perl|shogo82148/actions-setup-perl, with a matrix of stable Perl releases from the stricter of Makefile.PL MIN_PERL_VERSION and the main module's use v5... / use 5... line, up to the latest stable Perl.

The ceiling is resolved at each run via the MetaCPAN FastAPI GET /v1/release/perl (latest perl distribution release). The previous release/_search sort=version:desc query could return ancient tarballs because Elasticsearch sort is not Perl version order. If the request fails, a fallback (currently 5.40) is used. Override for tests or air-gapped use:

PREPARE4RELEASE_PERL_MAX=5.40 prepare4release ...

Matrix entries use even minor versions only (5.10, 5.12, …) between the computed minimum and maximum.

When --gitlab is set, if .gitlab-ci.yml is missing it is created with a parallel.matrix over PERL_VERSION and the official perl Docker image.

Existing workflow files are never overwritten.

System dependencies (apt)

There is no robust automatic mapping from CPAN modules to Debian packages. The tool scans Makefile.PL, cpanfile, and Build.PL for Alien::... names and, with --verbose, warns so you can add ci.apt_packages manually.

ENVIRONMENT

• PREPARE4RELEASE_PERL_MAX

  If set, used as the matrix ceiling instead of querying MetaCPAN (useful for CI of this tool or offline work).

• RELEASE_TESTING

  If set to a true value, author tests under xt/ may run (see xt/metacpan-live.t for a live MetaCPAN request that validates fetch_latest_perl_release_version).

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright (C) by the authors.

Same terms as Perl 5 itself.